MarginaliaAn. 1556. Ianuary.ately and necessarily doth follow the same, and therefore it is a manifest token of Gods truth, and hath here bene here and is styll abroad, and that is a cause of the rage & cruelty of Sathan against CHRIST and his members, which must bee corrected for their synnes in this worlde: theyr fayth must be tryed, that after triall and pacient suffering the faythfull may receaue the crowne of glory. MarginaliaTo be strong agaynst Sathan and not to feare persecution.Feare not therefore my welbeloued, but proceede in the knowledge and feare of God, and he will keepe you from all euyll. Call vpon hys holy name, and hee wyll strengthen you and assist you in all your wayes: and if it please hym to lay hys crosse vpon you for hys Gospels sake, refuse it not, neyther shake it of by vnlawfull meanes, lest you should (as God forbid) finde a more greuous crosse, and torment of conscience if you should dissemble and denye the knowen verity, then is any persecution or death of body. MarginaliaGood counsell not to forsake the Lord for persecution.Oh how happy are they that suffer persecution for righteousnes sake? their rewarde is great in heauen. The momentane afflictions of this lyfe are not worthy of the glory that shall be shewed vpon vs. Oh remember the godly women of the old testament & new, which lyued in Gods seruice and feare, and therefore are nowe in blysse and commended for euer: as namely Iudith, Hester, Abigael, the Mother of the. vij. sonnes, Mary, Elizabeth, Susanna, Lidia, and Phebe, and others. Set their examples before your eyes, and feare nothing: for Sathan is conquered by our Sauiour CHRIST: synne is put to flight, and the gate of immortality and eternall lyfe is set wyde open: God graunt we may enter therein through the doore IESVS CHRIST, Amen.

Thomas Wittell.

The story of M. Bartlet Greene, Gentleman and Lawyer, Martyr.  

Commentary     Close

The Life and Martyrdom of Bartlett Green

Green's martyrdom was merely listed in Rerum, p. 634. All of Foxe's account of Green first appeared in the 1563 edition. Some of the material came from oral sources, some of it from writings preserved by Green's friends and much of it came from Bishop Bonner's records. In the 1570 edition, the opening of Green's letter to Philpot was deleted; apart from this, there were no changes made to the 1563 account of Green in later editions.

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MarginaliaThe story of Master Bartlet Grene Gentleman & Martyr.MarginaliaIanuary. 27.AFter the martyrdome of Thomas Whittell, next followeth in order to speake of Bartlet Greene, who the next day after the foresayd Whittell, was lykewyse cōdemned. Thys Grene was of a good house and hauyng such parents as both fauoured learnyng, and were also wyllyng to bryng vp thys theyr child in the same. Who after some entraunce in other inferiour schooles, MarginaliaBartlet Grene, student at Oxford.was by them sent vnto the vniuiuersitie of Oxford: where through exercise and diligent study he so profited, that within short tyme he attained aswell vnto the knowledge of sundry prophane sciences, as also now in hys last yeares, vnto the godlye vnderstanding of Diuinitie. Whereunto through ignoraunce (in which he was trayned vp from hys youth) he was at the first an vtter enemy, MarginaliaM. Grene conuerted by þ^e Lectures of Peter Martyr.vntyll such tyme as God of hys mercy had opened his eyes by his often repayring vnto the cōmon Lectures of Peter Martyr, Reader of þ^e Diuinitie Lecture in the same vniuersity: so that thereby (as by Gods instrument) he sawe the true light of CHRISTES Gospell.

Whereof when he had once tasted, it became vnto hym as the fountayne of lyuely water that our Sauiour CHRIST spake of vnto the woman of Samaria,MarginaliaIohn. 4. so as he neuer thirsted any more, but had a well springing vnto euerlastyng lyfe. In so much as when he was called by hys frendes frō þ^e vniuersity, MarginaliaM. Grene student in the Temple at London.& was placed in þ^e Temple at London, there to attayne the knowledge of the common lawes of the Realme, he yet continued still in hys former study and earnest profession of the Gospell: wherein also he dyd not a little profite. Howbeit (such is the frailty of our corrupt nature, wythout the speciall assistance of Gods holy spirite) through the cōtinuall accompanying and fellowshyp of such worldly (I wyll not say to much youthfull) young Gentlemen, as are commonly in that and the lyke houses, hee became by lyttle and lyttle a compartener of theyr fonde follyes and youthfull vanities, aswell in hys apparell, as also in banketinges and other superfluous excesses, which hee afterward (beyng agayne called by Gods mercyfull correction) dyd sore lament and bewayle: as appeareth by hys owne testimony, notified and left in a booke of a certayne frend of his litle before his death,

written wyth hys own hand, in maner as followeth.

MarginaliaA good note or les son for young lawyers to marke and follow.TWo things haue very much troubled me whylest I was in the Temple, Pride and Glottony, which vnder the coulour of glory and good fellowship, drewe me almost from God. Agaynst both there is one remedye, by prayer earnest and without ceasing. And for as much as vayne glory is so subtile an aduersarye, that almost it woundeth deadly ere euer a man can perceiue hym selfe to bee smitten, therefore we ought so much the rather by continuall prayer to labour for humblenes of mynde. True Glottony beginneth vnder a charitable pretence of mutuall loue and society,MarginaliaWhat lewd company doth. and hath in it most vncharitablenes. When we seeke to refresh our bodies, that they may be the more apt to serue God, and performe our duties towards our neighbours, thē stealeth it in as a priuy theefe, and murdereth both body and soule, that nowe is not apt to pray, or serue God, nor apt to study or labour for our neighbours. Let vs therefore watch and be sober: for our aduersary the deuyll walketh about lyke a roaryng Lion, seeking whom he may deuour. And remember what Salomon sayth: Melior est patiens viro forti, & qui dominatur animo, expugnatore vrbium. i.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Bartlet Greene in a letter, quoting from Proverbs, 16. 32.

Foxe text Latin

Melior est patiens viro forti, & qui dominatur animo, expugnatore vrbium.

Foxe text translation

A pacient man is better then a strong warriour, and he that conquereth hys own stomacke, is better then he that conquereth townes and Cities.

Actual text of Proverbs, 16. 32. (Vulgate)

melior est patiens viro forte et qui dominatur animo suo expugnatore urbium

[Accurate citation, except that the Foxe text has a more classically correct ablative singular of the adjectivefortito agree withviroin an ablative of comparison phrase.]

Bartlet Greene.

Marginaliai. Agrement of mindes ioyning in vnitie of fayth, and growing vp in charitie is true and stedfast amitie. Farewell (my Bartrame) & remember me, that euer we may be like together. Farewel. At Newgate. Ianua. 20. An. 1556.Animorum in fide vnio, per charitatem aucta, firma est amicitia. Vale (mi Bartrame) & mei memineris, vt semper simillimi efficiamur. Vale. Apud nouam Portam. 20. Ianuarij. 1556.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Bartlet Green

Foxe text Latin

Animorum in fide vnio, per charitatem aucta, firma est amicitia. Vale (mi Bartrame) & mei memineris, vt semper simillimi efficiamur. Vale. Apud nouam Portam. 20. Ianuarii. 1556.

Foxe text translation

Agrement of mindes ioyning in vnitie of fayth, and growing in charitie is true and stedfast amitie. Farewell (my Bartrame) & remember me, that euer we may be like together. Farewel. Newgat. Ianua. 20, An. 1556.

Set sober loue against hasty wrath.

Bartlet Grene.

Thus we see the fatherly kyndnes of our most gracious and mercyfull God, who neuer suffereth hys elect children so to fall, that they lye styll in securitye of sinne, but often times quickneth them vp by some such meanes, as perhaps they thinke least of, as he dyd here thys hys strayed sheepe. And now therefore to returne to our history: for the better maintenance of himselfe in these hys studies & other hys affayres he had a large exhibition of hys Grandfather Master Doctor Barlet, MarginaliaLarge giftes offred to M. Grene by Doctor Bartlet, to returne to the church of Rome.who during the tyme of Grenes imprisonment made vnto hym large offers of great liuinges, if he would recant, and (forsaking the truth, and gospel of CHRIST) come home agayn to the church & Sinagoge of Rome. But these hys perswasions (the Lord be therfore praised) tooke small effect in thys faythfull hart, as the sequell dyd declare. He was a man beloued of all men, (except of the Papistes, who loue none that loue the truth) and so he well deserued: for he was of a meeke, humble, discreete, and most gentle behauiour to all. Iniurious he was to none, beneficiall to many, especially to those that were of the houshold of faith: as appeared (amongest other) by hys frendly dealyng with master Christopher Goodman,MarginaliaFriendship betwene Christofer Goodman and M. Grene. beyng at that present a poore Exile beyond the seas. With whom this Bartlet Grene (aswell for hys toward learning, as also for hys sober and godly behauiour) had often societie in Oxford in the dayes of good K. Edward: which nowe, notwithstandyng hys frendes misery and banishment, he dyd not lightly forget, and that turned as it chaūced (not without the prouidence of almighty God) to the great griefe of both, the one of hart for the losse of hys frend, and the other of body in suffering the cruell and murthering rage of Papistes.

The cause hereof was a letter which Greene dyd write vnto the sayd Goodman, containyng aswell the report of certaine demaūdes or questions, which were cast abroad in London (as appeareth hereafter in a letter of his owne pennyng, which he ment to haue sent vnto M. Philpot, wherin he declareth his full vsage before the Byshop of London and others) as also an aūswere to a questiō made by þ^e sayd Christopher Goodman in a letter written vnto him, in which he required to haue þ^e certainty of the report which was spread